1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a blow-off nozzle type bathtub with illumination, and in more details, to a blow-off nozzle type bathtub with illumination which can enhance a mental relaxation effect by illuminating the inside of a bathtub and also can enhance a physical fatigue recovery effect by applying a blow-off fluid to hot water in the bathtub.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a conventional bathtub, there has been generally known a bathtub 100 which is shown in FIG. 1 as a perspective view and in FIG. 2 as a Y—Y cross-sectional view. That is, the bathtub 100 is constituted such that a rectangular bathtub container 101 is embedded into a floor surface 110, a semicircular chair portion 103 on which a bather sits is formed on a bottom surface 102 of the bathtub vessel 101, handles 104 which the bather grips are mounted on both sides of the bathtub vessel 101, and a headrest 105 made of rubber or the like with which a head portion of the bather is brought into contact is mounted on one end portion of the bathtub vessel 101. Hot water or water is supplied into the inside of the bathtub vessel 101 from a spout 106. Here, with respect to a western-style bathtub having a relatively shallow bottom, to enable a bather to take a relaxed bathing posture, there has been also known a bathtub which forms a slanted surface inclined from an upper portion to a lower portion, that is, a backrest on an inner surface of a bathtub body.
However, the bathtubs having such general structures lacks in ideas or fail to give the high-grade feeling to a bather and hence, they have been unsuccessful to give a highly effective fatigue recovery effect and a mental relaxation effect to the bather.
In view of the above, recently, there has been proposed a bathtub which is rich in ideas by directly illuminating the inside of the bathtub using a light source. That is, for example, a bathtub having an underwater illumination (so as called as “water light”) having a cross section shown in FIG. 3 has been proposed. In such a bathtub 200, opening portions 204 are formed in the bathtub 200 by cutting out portions of side walls 202 or a bottom wall 203 of a bathtub vessel 201 for enabling the transmission of light, transparent members 205 such as lens are adhered to inner surfaces of opening portions 204, and light emitting members 206 such as lamps which are turned on by a switch not shown in the drawing are mounted in the opening portions 204 whereby the inside of the bathtub vessel 201 is illuminated.
However, with respect to the bathtub 200 with underwater illumination which forms the opening portions 204 for transmitting light in the bathtub wall, there exists a fear that hot water or water leaks from these opening portions 204 or electricity leaks due to this leaking of water when the light emitting members 206 are formed of lamps. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide sealing members 207 on a back surface of the vessel as shown in the drawing besides mounting the transparent members 205 on an inner surface of the vessel and hence, the structure becomes complicated and pushes up a cost. Further, even when such means is provided, there still remains a possibility of leaking of water or leaking of electricity due to the fatigue generated as time lapses and hence, it is necessary to confirm the safety by always performing the maintenance and the checking. Still further, since the lamps provide the direct illumination, it gives rise to the fatigue on eyes of a bather and hence, there have been drawbacks such as the reduction of a relaxed feeling.
Further, recently, for enhancing a warming effect or a massaging effect, there has been known a jet bath (or blow-off bath) which blows off hot water mixing air bubbles therein to hot water in the inside of a bathtub or a blower bath (or air-bubble bath) which generates bubbles in hot water in the inside of a bathtub by forcedly supplying air using a blower or the like. FIG. 4 shows an example of the jet bath. As shown in the drawing, in a bathtub 300, a hot water intake portion 303 and jet discharging portions 304 are formed in a peripheral wall 302 of a bathtub vessel 301 as through holes. When a circulating pump 307 is driven by a switch 308, hot water in the inside of the bathtub vessel 310 is suck from the hot water intake portion 303 through an intake pipe 305, is supplied to the jet discharging portions 304 through a supply pipe 306, and is discharged into the inside of the bathtub vessel 301. Here, the blower bath is a bath which uses a blower, a compressor or the like in place of the circulation pump 307 and blows off air into hot water in the inside of a bathtub vessel.
The jet-bath type bathtub 300 or the blower-bath type bathtub provided with such a dedicated blow-off piping structure can surely generates an warming effect or a massaging effect so that they are effective in recovering the physical fatigue. However, it is impossible for these bathtubs to enhance a mental relaxation effect.